Press Releases

Forty-One Senators Push to Keep Harmful Environmental Riders Out of Appropriations Bills

Senators warn that inclusion of poison pills harming the environment would undermine Senate’s ability to pass bipartisan spending bills Washington, D.C. – Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works; Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior,

Merkley, Salinas, Pacific Northwest Democrats to Secretary Rollins: Act Quickly to Hire Agricultural Research Staff Across the Region

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06) led a group of their Pacific Northwest colleagues in pressing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins over her commitment to promptly fill critical staff positions that remain vacant at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service

Risch, Merkley Advocate for Urban Canal Repairs

Introduce Bill to Expand Access to Existing Aging Infrastructure Funds for Repairs WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) today introduced the Urban Canal Modernization Act to allow Bureau of Reclamation aging infrastructure funding to help address repairs for urban canals with extraordinary maintenance issues. “Failure to

Merkley, Wyden, Padilla, Bonamici, Bipartisan Colleagues Urge Administration to Release $52.1 Million in Federal Education Funds for Agricultural Farmworker Students

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, California’s U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, and U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) today led 26 lawmakers to demand Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought and Education Secretary Linda McMahon immediately release $52,123,000 for the High School Equivalency

Padilla, Merkley, Cortez Masto, Peters Urge Smithsonian Secretary to Stand Strong Against Trump’s Attacks on Museums

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) encouraged Secretary of the Smithsonian Lonnie G. Bunch

Dexter Leads Oregon Lawmakers in Standing Up for Wildfire Response and Research

Oregon lawmakers warn USDA plan would weaken wildfire response, disrupt critical research, and jeopardize 246 local jobs.   WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Maxine Dexter (OR-03) today led a letter with Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06) and Janelle Bynum (OR-05) that

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